Molecular evidence for the synonymy of two species of Apatemon szidat, 1928, A. gracilis (Rudolphi, 1819) and A. annuligerum (von Nordmann, 1832) (Digenea: Strigeidae) parasitic as metacercariae in British fishes

A. S. Bell, C. Sommerville

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current study examined rDNA (internal transcribed spacer regions, ITS1 and ITS2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) sequence data of Apatemon annuligerum (originating from two geographical locations) and A. gracilis metacercariae (originating from four natural piscine hosts) to determine the systematic status of these two strigeid digeneans. With the exception of short repeat motifs, the ITS1 regions sequenced demonstrated no intra- or interspecific sequence variation. ITS2 sequences were 292 bp and CO1 sequences 366bp in length and identical for both nominal Apatemon species. These sequence data provide strong evidence that the two species are con-specific and that A. annuligerum should be regarded as a junior synonym of A. gracilis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)193-198
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Helminthology
Volume76
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2002

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Parasitology
  • Animal Science and Zoology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Molecular evidence for the synonymy of two species of Apatemon szidat, 1928, A. gracilis (Rudolphi, 1819) and A. annuligerum (von Nordmann, 1832) (Digenea: Strigeidae) parasitic as metacercariae in British fishes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this